The invention relates to decorative edging for gardens and around trees, and particularly to an edging system comprised of concrete bricks or tiles of different shapes adapted to be arranged in end-to-end relationship in different configurations to define the edge or border of a garden.
A popular form of garden edging is comprised of concrete or cement bricks or tiles adapted to be arranged in such a manner as to form a circle around a tree trunk or to define or accent the edge or border of a garden. A well known edger is the scallop edger, which is comprised of long, narrow and relatively tall bricks or tiles having an undulating or scalloped top. The bricks are adapted to be partially buried in the earth in end-to-end relationship to comprise a border. Conventionally, the bricks or tiles are of three types, namely, straight units, curved units and corner units, to facilitate the formation of various edge configurations or designs.
The straight and curved units are typically 23 to 30 inches long, 2 inches thick and 5 to 8 inches tall, including the scallops which have a height of 1⅝ inches. Each unit weighs about 21 to 22 pounds. The corner units are typically 12xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and of the same thickness, height and weight as the curved and straight units. A long standing problem with prior edging units is that they are prone to breakage during manufacture and shipment, resulting in waste and economic loss. Also, existing edgers are heavy and not user friendly.
For shipment from factory to retailer, the units are packed side by side and stacked several layers thick on shipping pallets. Due to their sizes, the units frequently extend beyond the edges of conventional pallets and incur further damage during shipment and handling.
Shipment and handling of the curved units is particularly troublesome. Conventionally, the curved units are formed with uniform thickness, defined by arcs with a single locus. The outer surface has a longer radius that the inner surface. Consequently, the units do not neatly nest together, and when packed for shipment are spaced apart at their centers, as is illustrated in FIG. 17. When multiple curved units are transported or handled (e.g., grasped by brick handling equipment such as a clamp cuber) the units will frequently break because of the spacing and lack of support at the mid-portions of the units.
Additionally, since the curved units cannot be fully nested, the number of units that can be loaded on a pallet is low. For example, a full pallet of straight units will typically contain 112 units, whereas a full pallet of curved units will typically contain only 72 units.
In arranging the units in a border design or pattern, the units customarily have flat ends which are simply abutted against one another. Therefore, after installation, the units are free to slip, slide and tilt relative to one another destroying the aesthetics of the edging pattern or design. To prevent this, various proposals have been made for mating male and female connectors on the ends of adjoining units (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,015,584 and 5,414,956). A drawback of male-female connectors is that only one side of a unit (e.g., male end) can connect with a given end of an adjoining unit (e.g., female end).
All in all, there is considerable room for improvement in the construction and design of concrete edging units.
An object of the invention is to provide totally redesigned and re-engineered concrete edging units overcoming the shortcomings and disadvantages of conventional units.
It is in particular an object of the invention to provide a reversible edging unit and improved concrete edging system facilitating a myriad of innovative layouts and designs. The bricks provided by the invention are no longer just an edger, but a complete three-piece design system.
Another object of the invention is to provide edging units that are small, light weight and user friendly, and that, when installed, do not shift or tilt.
A further object of the invention is to provide edging units that are strong, not prone to breakage and that pack together snugly for shipment to retailers and for convenient delivery to and handling by customers, such as home owners and do-it-yourselfers.
A still further object of the invention is to provide edging units, particularly curved edging units, that nest together in flush surface-to-surface engagement with one another, without gaps, so that a plurality of the units can be handled with little if any risk of breakage, and so that a large number of curved units can be loaded on a pallet.
In accordance with the invention, a three-piece edging system has been newly designed and engineered to provide curved and straight edging units having a length of about 12 inches, a thickness of about two and one-quarter inches, an overall height of about four and a half inches and a scallop height of about one inch. The significantly decreased ratios of length to thickness and height to thickness together with the increase in thickness produce an edging unit that is exceptionally strong and highly resistant to breakage. The weight of each straight unit is only 42 percent of the weight of a prior art straight unit (84 percent over a 24-inch length) and the weight of each curved unit is only 40.5 percent the weight of a prior art curved unit (81 percent over a 24-inch length). Given their smaller size and lighter weight, the units of the invention are much more user friendly and much more readily installed and with greater precision.
Due to their construction, the units of the invention have great stability when arranged in an edge or border design.
The corner units of the invention are similarly reduced in size and weight to six and a half by six and a half by two and a quarter by four and a quarter inches. The corner units have also been redesigned to facilitate stacking of the same and to mitigate against breakage during stacking and handling.
The curved units have in particular been redesigned to form the concave and convex surfaces on the same radius from different loci so that the two surfaces have the same arc of curvature and therefore nest together with the concave surface of one unit in flush face-to-face engagement with the convex surface of the next adjacent unit. A plurality of the curved units, even in a xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d or uncured state, may therefore be clamped in a clamp cuber and stacked on a pallet with little risk of damage. Also, the complete nesting of the curved units permits a much larger number of units to be stacked on a pallet.
The redesign of the units further facilitates palletizing of the units in snug relationship with one another and without overhanging the edges of the pallet.
Each of the units is provided at its ends with a connecting face comprising a vertical rib and an adjoining vertical groove such that the ribs on the connecting faces of two adjoining units fit within the grooves in the connecting faces of the two units, thereby connecting the units and mitigating against relative movement, e.g., tilting or shifting. The connecting faces on all three types of edge units, straight, curved and corner, are the same so that the connections therebetween are universal and facilitate a myriad of border or edge designs.
The invention therefore overcomes the shortcomings and disadvantages of conventional edging systems.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of reasonable skill in the art from the following detailed description, as considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.